World News

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China says it’s willing to deepen economic relations with Canada as this country’s trading relationship with the United States hits a rough patch.

The People’s Republic of China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the U.S. and, in 2017, Ottawa came close to starting talks with Beijing on a trade agreement.

In 2019, China restricted imports of several Canadian products, including canola seed, in apparent retaliation for Ottawa arresting a Chinese tech executive. The value of the economic fallout – billions in lost sales – pales in comparison to the threat U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has made to Canada, vowing 25-per-cent tariffs on all Canadian goods when he takes office. Canadian exports to the U.S. in 2023 exceeded $592-billion.